drag queen
noun
plural drag queens
: a person and especially a man who performs as an entertainer in usually female drag (see drag entry 3 sense 2a)
Drag queens, who are traditionally male, dress in "drag" as female characters.—
Lauren Wavra
Lauren WavraFor the past decade, (basically since RuPaul started Drag Race) traditional drag queens (ie, cis men performing as female characters) have been blowing up in the popular zeitgeist …—Brittany Knupper
Brittany KnupperDrag is not simply female impersonation, but involves drag queens exaggerating femininity and drag kings exaggerating masculinity.—Shannon Kelly
Shannon Kelly[Victoria] Sin is a female-bodied non-binary drag queen, examining how Western ideals of femininity are produced and consumed.—Amrou Al-Kadhi
Amrou Al-KadhiThey are a black, non-binary drag queen with a beard in a part of the country that has a reputation for being anti-LGBTQ+.—Bailey Shelton
Bailey SheltonExamples of drag queen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Also, a magenta bed once owned by a Vegas drag queen that couldn’t be restored in time for the show (too much hair spray caked on the headboard).
—Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026
Lady Bunny, the drag queen comedian whose legacy extends back to the early 1980s, carries an eternal summer vibe due to her founding of the historic Wigstock Festival, a drag celebration which happened every year from 1985 to 2005.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 May 2026
New York’s gritty downtown scene was exploding, high-camp drag queens and nightclub personalities like Kevin Aviance and Lady Bunny were becoming icons, and house and ballroom music were filtering into the mainstream.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
The Stonewall Inn was a refuge for its clientele, and one of the few establishments that welcomed drag queens.
—Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 21 Apr. 2026
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Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026
Lady Bunny, the drag queen comedian whose legacy extends back to the early 1980s, carries an eternal summer vibe due to her founding of the historic Wigstock Festival, a drag celebration which happened every year from 1985 to 2005.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 May 2026
New York’s gritty downtown scene was exploding, high-camp drag queens and nightclub personalities like Kevin Aviance and Lady Bunny were becoming icons, and house and ballroom music were filtering into the mainstream.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
The Stonewall Inn was a refuge for its clientele, and one of the few establishments that welcomed drag queens.
—Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drag queen
Cite this Entry
“Drag queen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drag%20queen. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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